


Calm Before the Lodge

by cvntrvlled



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, One Shot, Post-Until Dawn (Video Game), Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:06:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cvntrvlled/pseuds/cvntrvlled
Summary: A quick bit of backstory of Sam and Josh's relationship prior to going to the cabin for the very first time.
Relationships: Ashley Brown/Chris Hartley, Emily Davis/Mike Munroe, Sam Giddings/Josh Washington
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	Calm Before the Lodge

January 28th - 2014

The school-bell rang, signaling another tedious day at school. Samantha Giddings took her respectful place in the front row of her English class, as always. The 2nd semester had only barely begun and already felt the senioritis hitting her hard. This was saying something since Sam was always on top of everything.  
She glanced over to the right and scoffed to herself, adjusting awkwardly in her seat.

Mike appeared to be on top of everything too.  
He was happily swallowing Emily's face whole.

Totally disgusting. 

As Sam scanned the class making sure her friends were there. This was the one class her friend group all had together. Ash and Jess were talking in the corner about something on Jess' phone, like normal.  
Her eyes wandered around some more until they landed on Chris who was sitting quietly alone, the desk beside him unattended. Sam stood up and sauntered back to Chris.

"Mornin'... bro." She said awkwardly and pointed a sad excuse for finger guns at him. Chris smiled widely, but shook his head.

"How are ya, dudette?" He patted the seat next to him signaling Sam to sit, which she did.

"Have you seen Josh?" Sam asked more seriously as she sat down.

"Uhm... No? If he was here, wouldn't he be sitting here?"

"Yeah. Good point." Sam exhaled before looking back at Chris. 

She scrunched her nose in frustration.  
"I'm just... Worried about him. That's all."

"Huh? Why?" Chris squinted his eyes. His face was calm and relaxed, but she was able to see past that Christopher facade he always put up.

"He... Hasn't seemed so... You know. Josh-like lately. He was like.. super psyched about going to his family's cabin with us but... He kinda stopped talking to us all that much. Plus, well..." 

She paused, her eyes examining the room again. "He's not here today."

Chris leaned back in his chair, shifting awkwardly. She noticed how the walls he put up began to break. "Are you sayin' he like-"

But as the tension in the air grew its stiffest, it was suddenly burst as Josh opened the door. He looked around and gave a small wave to Chris and Sam. 

Chris shrugged his shoulders plainly at Sam, like they hadn't even been discussing him.

"Sorry Mrs. Jones. Hope I wasn't too late." He said cooly as he walked back to the back of the room.

"Actually, we were just about to begin. Now, take your seat Josh."

Josh nodded and hurried back to the desks. Sam swiftly stood up, letting Josh squeeze past her. The two smiled briefly at each other as their shoulders brushed and Sam resumed her seat in the front row.

She couldn't help but wonder why Josh had been late. She knew she saw Beth and Hannah before school started. 

As the teacher began to speak, Sam could hardly concentrate. Lately, she had been observing much more than normal. She never realized how many things about people she missed, especially from sitting in the front. 

Matt looked at Em a lot and when her and Mike would flirt, Matt would get a solemn, defeated look on his face. She couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity for him.

Ash would look at Chris all the time, but when Ash looked away, Chris would look at her. They'd never meet each other's eyes. It was always a just few seconds off. It was terribly melancholic to watch.

Josh was harder to decipher. He'd observe absolutely anything besides the teacher and her lessons. Sometimes he'd scribble in a notebook and occasionally he glanced at Sam. When he noticed her looking at him too, he made faces at her then continued what he had been doing. Sometimes he'd try to mess with Chris, but Chris would either be looking at Ashley or listening to the teacher. Either way, Josh teased him about both. 

Sam found Josh cute in a dorky way. She didn't think Josh would ever feel the same way about her, though. Josh was in no way popular, but his family was stacked. That's the main reason most people are even friends with him. Hannah and Beth too. They're all kinda weird, but no one really talks about it because they all want a taste of the Washington wealth. Who could blame them?

Sam didn't think badly of the Washingtons.  
Josh was one of Sam's best friends. They had known each other for a few years now and the two of them had always gotten along very well.  
Hannah and Beth were genuinely really sweet girls. Hannah was super nerdy but kind. Beth was more like Ash and Jess. A hardy combination of the two. Despite being related, the 3 of them were all incredibly different. 

As her mind began to wander, Sam's eyes eventually made their way over to Josh again. She couldn't help but study every aspect of him. His face. His posture. The way his eyebrows furrowed when he messed up what he was writing, so he'd furiously erase it then put his pencil down. Sam subtly smiled to herself watching his mannerisms. Josh wasn't the most... To put it nicely, respectful person in the world. But that was just Josh, and what could you do? Sam smiled to herself, letting out a quiet sigh. After all, being Josh is one of the best things you could be.

But her daydreams were simply crushed by the sound of the same headache-inducing bell she was much. The students around Sam immediately shot up and scattered out the door, desperate to leave the classroom. Sam gathered all her things and neatly stored them in her backpack. She glanced back at Josh who stuffed his notebook and pens into his bag while talking to Chris. He hadn't even gotten out his English book for the class.

Mike and Em walked out of the class together, while Matt watched enviously. Sam frowned, but made her way over to Josh, and began to hear the boys' discussion.

"Listen, if you want her bro, you gotta get her." Josh's hands eagerly clasped onto Chris' shoulders.

"C'mon dude... You and I both know we don't know anything about how to... 'get' girls." Chris mumbled the last part.

"Oh please! You can't just sit around and wait for a miracle, alright? This is what you gotta do, 'kay?" Josh stood up straight and adjusted the collar on his flannel confidently. 

His eyes shifted up and down Chris, checking him out. Chris' eyes widened, worried for his own sanity.

"Your boobs look amazing tonight-"

Chris scoffed while playfully shoving Josh away. "Haha. Reaaalll funny."

"Oh please, that's only the beginning." Josh nodded, moving in closer to Chris, motioning suggestively with his hands.

"Then, you gotta tell her how hot she looks and she'll practically fall to the ground begging for-" 

"For?" Sam interjected.

Josh immediately flipped around to face Sam and immediately turned a soft pink.

"Oh- well like, you know. For um... Help with their homework." Josh grinned unsurely at Sam but she laughed, making Josh feel a bit less tense.

"And that's how you get the ladies, cochise." Chris grabbed Josh's shoulders and shook him a little. His face grew to an even intenser pink.

"I'm gonna start heading to my next class. Peace Josh. See ya Sammy!"

He waved to the two and tried to catch up with Ash and Jess who left a bit before him.

"About that, uh- I was- Like, it was just a joke." Josh nervously rubbed the back of his head, his face still recovering from the incident.

Sam laughed again, but Josh remained stiff.

"I don't care." Sam motioned for Josh to start walking with her as the two have their next class, Digital Film Production together.

"It was funny." Sam said softly.

"What?"

"Your joke."

"Which one? I make a lot of those."

Sam smiled at the ground, not letting Josh get the satisfaction that he made her laugh. "The one about Chris boning Ash."

"Oh. Definitely. I wouldn't say they've arrived at the bone zone, but they're for sure buying tickets."

Sam rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway.

The two walked side by side, not speaking much after that. Sam noticed Josh would open his mouth to start talking, but then shut it again. She found this odd. Josh was extremely extroverted and spoke to basically anyone and everyone. Why was he being so quite around her? 

"Looking forward to February 2nd?" Sam said trying to start up a conversation. 

She peered over at Josh again, who was looking at the floor.  
"Oh- uh yeah, I am!" He immediately looked up at Sam, his eyes lit up almost too happily.

"We are gonna thrash the place down! No parents, just our friend group. Complete party central." 

"Uh huh."

"Personally," Josh made his voice much more professional sounding.

"I'm hoping to get totally and utterly shit-faced."

Sam crossed her arms. "I don't think that's smart, Josh."

Josh huffed. "Huh, why? It's not like anything else is gonna go down."

"I don't know. I just don't think it's smart."

"You don't think that's smart?" His voice swelling with sudden defense.

"Well, honestly... No. Anything could happen. What if someone got hurt or something?"

"No one is gonna get hurt, Sam. It's just a cabin. We can throw all those rules and shit clear out the window!" He gestured wildly as the they walked up the stairs.

The two stayed silent for a while until Sam abruptly yanked Josh's arm to stop him.

"It just seemed like you've been having trouble lately, and well... I don't want anything to go wrong while we're there. Since it's a vacation and all."

Josh smiled halfheartedly. "Oh. Thanks Sam, I guess that's pretty cool of you to care and all but I'm okay." He shrugged, fidgeting with his sleeves.

"I know. You always say that. But..." Sam paused, her words escaping her. Everything felt so instantly heavy in that moment. She had so many thing to say. To tell him. To reassure him. Just to let him know he doesn't have to be worried, or scared. But for some reason, the words wouldn't form the correct sentences. 

She eventually looked back up at him, and he was still looking at her. His face full of concern and worry, although he did his best to disguise it. He was good at that.

Sadly, Sam couldn't think of how to get across what she wanted to say to him. Reluctantly she squeezed out,

"I guess... It is a party so-"

"-My thoughts exactly Samantha." Josh cut her off before she could finish. He gently patted her back, and nudged her forward so they could continue walking.

"Like you said, it's a vacation. We're supposed to chillax and just... Go with the flow." His voice was very confident and relaxed. 

Two things Samantha had a hard time finding within herself  
Maybe that's what drew her so much to him...

He slapped his right hand firmly on his chest, "And just for you, Miss Giddings, I swear to the very core of the universe, I shall protect each and everyone of us while we are at that cabin." Josh grinned and Sam couldn't help but smile too.

"Why, Mr. Washington, that's awfully kind of you." She began to spoke in a very poorly done Southern accent. 

Josh tipped an invisible fedora at her. "Anytime, m'lady."

Sam half smiled, and tilted her head slightly. "I thought we were doing southern this time."

"Improv is all about creative liberty." Josh frowned as Sam started giggiling.

"Well yeah, but it's also about yes, and. You can't just shift the scene entirely."

"Okay well, whatever."

Sam rolled her eyes and walked past Josh, reaching the classroom. "Whatever you say, Mr. Director. But when your film doesn't have a natural flow, don't come crying to me."

Sam was still giggiling as she grabbed onto the door handle to the classroom, but Josh pushed her out of the way and opened it for her. 

Her eyes narrowed as a large grin stretched across Josh's face.

"What a gentlemen." She said, returning the accent.

"Of course, darlin."

Sam curtsied as she walked in, and Josh bowed back. The bell rang again as Josh followed behind Sam and shut the door.


End file.
